Quincy, Portola boys win basketball games

Portola’s Juan Rodriguez jumps to make the layup against Incline on Jan. 7. Rodriguez scored 25 points during Portola’s 84-50 win. Photo by James Wilson

James Wilson

Sports Editor

1/17/2014

The boys’ basketball teams from both Portola and Quincy played one game each last week, and both came out with wins. The Tigers hosted Incline on Jan. 7, to win a whopping 84-50. The win brought Portola’s record up to 4-7 overall.

Quincy hosted Loyalton that same night and, with similar results, won 73-51. The win pushed Quincy’s record to an even 8-8 overall. Both teams will start their league play this Friday.

The Tigers really showed Incline what they were made of in the second quarter. Portola had a humble 21-16 lead before outscoring Incline by 10 points in the second quarter to bring the score to 40-25 at the half. Portola kept its roll going through the second half for the big win.

“I was really proud of my boys,” boasted Portola coach Tim Brubaker. “They played really hard and good after just one week of practice after the break.”

Juan Rodriguez was the star of the Tigers’ game against Incline. Rodriguez reached the double digits in points and rebounds with 25 points and 15 rebounds. Rodriguez is a sophomore and this is his first year playing at the varsity level.

Mike Martinez was right up there with Rodriguez, scoring 22 points. Martinez also led the team in rebounds with 21. Saul Juarez scored 10 points and Connor Kennedy scored nine, including two three-pointers.

Quincy demonstrated its supremacy over Loyalton from the get-go. The Trojans came out full-forced to take a 34-15 lead by halftime. The Trojans basically maintained their position through the second half to secure their win.

Brady Rick was once again the top scorer for Quincy with 26 points, including six three-pointers. Anthony Sullivan also contributed immensely. Sullivan scored 15 points and led the team in rebounds with 13. Ty Morrison added 14 points for Quincy.

The game against Loyalton was Austin Wilson’s first time playing this season for Quincy. Wilson, a point guard, was waiting on an athletic transfer to go through before he could play for the Trojans. According to Quincy coach Mike Woodlee, having Wilson in the mix made a world of difference.

“We are able to play at full potential now and able to really push the ball down the court,” said Woodlee. “Now that we are getting better at executing our game plan, we are a team to look out for.”

Quincy will travel to Maxwell on Friday to play its first league game. Portola will host Williams at 7 p.m.